“From the sky, onto the mountains, and into the oceans”:
How Thailand’s water management in agriculture can support the global goals
Sarun Charoensuwan
Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In September 2015, all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted aplan for achieving a better future for all, laying out a path to end extreme poverty,
fight inequality, and protect our planet through the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) which committed to leave no one behind.
But multiple challenges remain to be tackled before the world can achievethese goals. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), by 2050
the world will need to produce 60 % more food to feed a population of 9.3 billion.
This will not be an easy task if climate change continues to put more pressure on
the quality and availability of natural resources. For this reason, efficient watermanagement, particularly in agriculture, will be key.
For Thailand, agriculture employs one third of the population, and much ofthis sector depends on the amount of annual rainfall. Thai farmers’ reliance on
seasonal precipitation is reflected in several Thai water-based ceremonies. One
notable example is the “Boon Bung Fai” festival during which villagers in thenortheastern region propel homemade rockets into the sky to please the Rain God
and plea for a favourable amount of rainfall.

Traditional Boon Bung Fai (Rocket Festival)
Credit: http://www.watpamahachai.net/

-2It was this very issue that captured the attention of His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great soon after his accession to the throne in 1946. His
Majesty’s determination to address this issue made agricultural water management
an integral part of Thailand’s development policy long before the adoption of theSDGs, as evident in his speech at Chitralada Villa on 17 March 1986 “...It is crucial
that there must be water for consumption and water for agriculture because life isthere. With water, humans can survive. Without water, humans cannot survive.
Without electricity, humans can survive. With electricity but no water, humans
cannot survive...”Many Thais can recall almost-daily news reports about the King’s visits toremote areas of Thailand impacted by droughts or floods in an attempt to findappropriate solutions. Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Secretary-General of the Chaipattana
Foundation, summarized the framework of King Bhumibol’s water management
principles as “From the sky, onto the mountains, and into the oceans”.
From the sky: King Bhumibol established a “Royal Rainmaking Project” toincrease water supply both for farming and generating electricity. The project
started in 1955 when His Majesty visited dried-up areas in the northeastern
provinces and noticed that the weather conditions were cloudy, yet not producing
any precipitation. This observation inspired His Majesty to develop and perfecttechniques for artificial rainmaking. Over the course of 50 years, “RoyalRainmaking” operations across the country have produced sufficient amount ofwater for the farmers to harvest without disruption and for hydroelectric dams tofunction properly.

Weather Modification by Royal Rainmaking Technology
Credit: Google Patents

-3Onto the mountains represented the reservoirs and irrigation systems
initiated by King Bhumibol to ensure year-round availability of water for
agriculture and daily usage. They were also employed to alleviate the severity offloods by releasing runoff of excess water “into the oceans” at the appropriate
moments. Pasak Jolasid Dam, Thailand’s largest earth-fill dam, is one of His
Majesty’s most widely known initiatives to address flood and drought in Pasak
River, one of the main tributaries of the Chao Phraya River that encompasses
around 352,000 hectares of farmland, including in Greater Bangkok and its adjacentareas. It was designed to collect and store surplus water from the upper reaches ofthe river during the rainy season as well as to reduce the likelihood of flooding inthe lower parts.

Pasak Jolasid Dam
Credit: Office of the Royal Development Projects Board website

Pasak Jolasid Dam
Credit: Public Relations Department website

Besides regulating the flow of water, several royal projects successfullyemployed modern irrigation techniques in combination with soil and forest
rehabilitation. A notable example is Hub Kapong Royal Project Learning Centre in
Cha-Am, Petchaburi Province. The project began in 1964 when King Bhumibol
witnessed the hardship of local villagers and farmers who lacked capital and land.

-4His Majesty then decided to set aside 1,932 hectares of degraded forest in the area
for rehabilitation.

Hub Kapong Royal Project Learning Centre
Credit: Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation website

The project boasts unique international cooperation with the Government ofIsrael, the world’s expert in agricultural technologies such as drip irrigation andgreenhouse systems which have successfully transformed many parts of Israeli
deserts to become arable. Over time, degraded soil in Hub Kapong has been
gradually rehabilitated. Nowadays, local farmers can grow a variety of fruits andvegetables that would have been absolutely impossible 50 years ago, such as
asparagus, tomatoes, and cantaloupe. The project also provided dwellers withinfrastructure, knowledge in community management, and training in the operationsof cooperatives for a comprehensive improvement in quality of life.
After immense progress, Hub Kapong continues to develop new sustainableagricultural practices. It adopted King Bhumibol’s “New Theory” model, which
divides land into four parts: 30% for storing irrigation water, 30% for growing rice,
30% for growing a mixture of plants, and the remaining 10% for residential andlivestock areas. This concept allows households to become self-reliant, and reducesrisks from cultivating a single cash crop. Nowadays, the “New Theory” model has
been developed into “Khok Nong Na” model, championed by His Majesty KingMaha Vajiralongkorn, by incorporating indigenous farming wisdom into the “NewTheory” model so that prescribed solutions fit the needs and conditions of each locality.

-5The key principle of the Khok Nong Na Model is to store sufficient water by focusing on storage ofwater in three main areas: mound, marsh, and rice field.
Credit: Surin Provincial Agriculture and Cooperatives Office website

Like Hub Kapong, several of King Bhumibol’s royal initiatives on water
management were initially conducted as a pilot study in one small area, before
expanding to other sites to examine its validity in various environments. To date,
the knowledge derived from these projects have been implemented by farmers
across Thailand with impressive results, attesting to King Bhumibol’s legacy which
continues to be further developed and built upon by His Majesty King Maha
Vajiralongkorn. The outcomes of these initiatives and projects may very well offer
an answer to those wishing for rainfall, as well as provide a guiding light on thepath towards achieving the SDGs.
* * * * *Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan is a distinguished career diplomat with a wealth ofexperience in both bilateral and multilateral relations. He has served as theDirector-General of three regional departments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,including the Department of European Affairs, East Asian Affairs, and Americanand South Pacific Affairs. He was Thailand’s Ambassador to France during 2018 toearly 2022 before returning to headquarters as the Deputy Permanent Secretary forForeign Affairs responsible for Thailand’s bilateral relations.